Eight questions to ask before you pay for AI help
A checklist for the meeting with any AI vendor, consultant or IT provider. Each question comes with what a good answer sounds like, and there is room to compare up to three providers side by side.
- Use itBefore you sign anything or pay for setup.
- CoversUp to three providers on one sheet.
- From the mapThe same questions as the Choosing help page in your map.
AI vendor checklist
Eight questions and five red flags before you pay any AI provider. Sidekick Orchestration, sidekickorchestration.ai
Eight questions to ask
You're not early. Firms that went first have worked out what good help looks like. Ask these of an AI vendor, a consultant or your IT provider. They apply to us too. Tick each answer that sounds like the good one.
| Question, and what a good answer sounds like | Provider 1 | Provider 2 | Provider 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
1. What will we be able to do at day 30 and day 90 that we can't do now, and how will we measure it? Good answerOne or two named jobs, what will be different, and the number you'll compare, such as hours a week on client updates. | |||
2. Will you start with the tools we already pay for, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, before adding anything new? Good answerYes. They start with what you have, and add a tool only for a job it can't do. | |||
3. Have you set this up for yourselves, and for a firm our size? Good answerThey show you a setup they use in their own business, and name a client of a similar size you could speak to. | |||
4. What access do you need, to which systems, and why each one? Will you ever log in to our systems? Good answerNames each system and permission, with a reason, and starts read-only. They never ask for your passwords. | |||
5. Who owns the accounts, settings and instructions you build if we stop working together? Good answerYou own the accounts and everything built, with the instructions written down. | |||
6. What is the full cost, including tool seats and usage charges, and what happens if usage runs over? Good answerOne written total: seats, usage, their fees, and whether going over stops the work or asks you first. | |||
7. How many hours will our people spend on setup, training and checking the work? Good answerAn estimate per person, by week, and when the checking time should go down. | |||
8. How will you work with our IT provider, if we have one, and what happens if it isn't working by day 30? Good answerThey brief your IT provider in writing, and agree now what changes, or how you stop, if day 30 shows no progress. |
Five red flags
- They recommend a new tool before asking about your work and what you already pay for.
- They push a custom build before you've tried the business tools you can buy.
- They call something an "agent" and can't show it working on material like yours. Gartner warns that many vendors overstate what their "agents" do.
- They ask for passwords, admin access, or the power to send email as you in week one.
- They promise a percentage of time saved or a smaller team before they've seen how your work gets done.
What fair help costs
Business AI tools list at about CAD 28 to 41 per person a month, depending on the plan. Hands-on AI engineering from an agency runs about CAD 177 to 341 an hour. US fractional executives average US$176 to US$211 an hour; there are no good Canadian figures yet.
Ask any provider to estimate the hours your team will spend on setup, training and checking. Our cost guide lists Sidekick's prices beside the others.
Get a version filled in for your firm
The free AI Opportunity Map gives you this checklist with your own tools named, plus your first three jobs for AI. It takes about 5 minutes.
Free map: sidekickorchestration.ai/assessment